Flow rate adjusting device

ABSTRACT

The flow rate adjusting device includes: a valve body disposed so as to open and close the fluid passage; a dial operation part which adjusts minute opening of the valve body in the slow-leaking mechanism; a lock nut part which fixes the adjusting position of the minute opening; and a lock cap which prevents motion of the dial operation part and the lock nut part. The lock cap includes: a first insertion hole into which the substantially cylindrical dial operation part is inserted; a second insertion hole into which a rod protruding upward from the housing is inserted; and an arm part which connects the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a flow rate adjusting device whichcontrols, for example, flow rate of chemicals, demineralized water orthe like, and particularly to a flow rate adjusting device whichincludes a slow-leaking mechanism.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, a flow rate adjusting device is known which is used in afluid supply line in cases such as when mixing multiple chemicalstogether or accurately adjusting flow rate of demineralized water, etc.used in a manufacturing process of products, and which is also commonlycalled a regulator. Examples of the flow rate adjusting device used forsuch purposes include one with a configuration disclosed in PatentLiterature 1 below.

Some of these flow rate adjusting devices include a slow-leakingmechanism which secures minute opening in a fully-closed state. In orderto enable the adjustment of the minute opening of a valve mechanism fordifferent purposes, the slow-leaking mechanism includes a strokeadjusting mechanism. This stroke adjusting mechanism is, for example,configured to be able to appropriately adjust a protrusion amount of avalve stem, etc. which actuates a valve body in an opening direction.

Further, the aforementioned stroke adjusting mechanism includes astopper mechanism which fixes an adjusting position so as to prevent theset adjusting position from shifting. Typically, this stopper mechanismhas a structure of a double-nut system, for example, which is screwed toan upper end of the valve stem.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

{PTL 1}

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2004-36765

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

In the slow-leaking mechanism of the above-described flow rate adjustingdevice, an inability to maintain a subtle adjusting position of thestroke adjusting mechanism makes it difficult to accurately adjust theflow rate of slow leakage due to shifts in the adjusting position.Therefore, it is desirable that the stroke adjusting mechanism and thestopper mechanism of the flow rate adjusting device are configured so asnot to be easily operated by a worker, nor to undergo shifts due tovibration, etc.

To be more specific, development of a flow rate adjusting device isdesired, which is less likely to undergo such unintentional shifts in anadjusting position as affect the flow rate adjusting function, includinga shift in the adjusting position caused by a worker accidentallytouching the stroke adjusting mechanism or the stopper mechanism, forexample, during maintenance work, etc., a shift in the adjustingposition due to incorrect operation of the worker, and a shift in theadjusting position caused by vibration, etc.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and anobject thereof is to provide a flow rate adjusting device which isdesigned with measures for making unintentional shifts in an adjustingposition less likely to occur in a stroke adjusting mechanism and astopper mechanism of a slow-leaking mechanism.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention has adoptedthe following solutions.

A flow rate adjusting device according to the present inventionincludes: a housing having an inlet port at one end of a fluid passageand an outlet port at the other end of the fluid passage, the fluidpassage being formed inside the housing; a valve body disposed so as toopen and close the fluid passage; a stroke adjusting mechanism whichadjusts minute opening of the valve body in a slow-leaking mechanism; astopper mechanism which fixes an adjusting position of the minuteopening; and a lock member which prevents motion of the stroke adjustingmechanism and the stopper mechanism. The lock member includes: a firstinsertion hole into which a substantially cylindrical adjustingoperation part of the stroke adjusting mechanism is inserted; a secondinsertion hole into which a rod protruding upward from the housing isinserted; and an arm part which connects the first and second insertionholes.

According to this flow rate adjusting device, the lock member includes:the first insertion hole into which the substantially cylindricaladjusting operation part of the stroke adjusting mechanism is inserted;the second insertion hole into which the rod protruding upward from thehousing is inserted; and the arm part which connects the first andsecond insertion holes. Mounting such a lock member causes the adjustingoperation part to be inserted and fitted into the first insertion holeand, at the same time, the rod to be inserted and fitted into the secondinsertion hole which is connected by the arm part. Thus, unintentionalshifts due to vibration, operation of rotating the lock member whichsurrounds an outer circumference of the adjusting operation part, etc.are prevented by engagement of the second insertion hole and the rodthrough the arm part.

In the above-described invention, it is preferable that the firstinsertion hole includes an annular part which protrudes to an upper sideof the adjusting operation part at a predetermined insertion position,and thereby the adjusting operation part can be entirely covered exceptfor an upper surface so as not to be exposed.

In this case, it is preferable that the lock member is made of resin andincludes one or more slits which divide a wall surface of the annularpart in a circumferential direction, and thereby the elasticallydeformed annular part can be brought into close contact with an outercircumferential surface of the adjusting operation part by optimizing aninner diameter of the annular part.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the above-described present invention, it is possible toprovide a flow rate adjusting device which is less likely to undergosuch unintentional shifts in an adjusting position as affect the flowrate adjusting function, including a shift in the adjusting positioncaused by a worker accidentally touching the stroke adjusting mechanismor the stopper mechanism, a shift in the adjusting position due toincorrect operation of the worker, and a shift in the adjusting positioncaused by vibration, etc. in the flow rate adjusting device includingthe slow-leaking mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of a flow rate adjustingdevice according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flow rate adjusting device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the flow rate adjusting device shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a configuration example of a lock member usedin the flow rate adjusting device shown in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 4(a) isa plan view, FIG. 4(b) is a left side view, and FIG. 4(c) is across-sectional view along the line A-A of (a).

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the flow rateadjusting device shown in FIG. 1 in an initial state of a slow-leakingmechanism with a lock member mounted.

FIG. 6 shows the flow rate adjusting device shown in FIG. 1, in whichFIG. 6(a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a slow-leakingstate of the slow-leaking mechanism with the lock member mounted, andFIG. 6(b) is an enlarged view of a major part showing a stroke(adjustment of a slow leakage amount) of the slow-leaking mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, one embodiment of a flow rate adjusting device including aslow-leaking mechanism according to the present invention will bedescribed based on the drawings.

In a flow rate adjusting device 1 of the present embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 to 6, a housing 10, which forms an outer shape of the device, isshaped from a material such as resin or a highly chemical-resistantfluorine resin material, and a fluid inlet port 21 and a fluid outletport 24 are formed on an outside of the housing. Although the housing 10is divided into four blocks of 10 a, 10 b, 10 c, and 10 d in the shownconfiguration example, this is not intended to be limiting.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the housing 10 mainly encloses: a valveseat 11 having an opening face 11 a which communicates with the inletport 21; a valve body 30 which moves in an orthogonal direction (thevertical direction in FIG. 5) to the opening face 11 a of the valve seat11; a diaphragm 35 (pressure adjusting membrane) fixed to an upper endsurface of the valve body 30; and a spring 36 which presses the valvebody 30 against the valve seat 11.

A passage for the fluid to pass through is constituted of a first space22 (commonly called a “valve chamber”) which communicates from the inletport 21 to the valve body 30, and a second space 23 which is locatedbetween the valve seat 11 and the diaphragm 35 and communicates with theoutlet port 24.

A first pressure chamber 12 is formed on an opposite side to the secondspace 23 across the diaphragm 35, that is, on the upper side of thediaphragm 35 in the sheet of FIG. 5, and the pressure chamber 12communicates with a pressure introduction port 13 formed on the upperpart of the housing 10.

Although in the shown configuration example, air pressure which isadjusted to a desired pressure through a regulator 51 is supplied from acompressed air supply source 50 to the pressure introduction port 13,the pressure source is not intended to be limited to the compressed air.

The following further describes the configuration associated with thevalve body 30 and the operation of the valve body 30.

The valve body 30 is movable in the vertical direction in FIG. 5, andpressed from below upward, that is, pressed against the valve seat 11,by the spring 36 provided under the valve body 30. This brings theopening face 11 a of the valve seat 11 into close contact with the wallsurface of the valve body 30, and thereby the valve seat 11 is closed.

Although the diaphragm 35 is fixed to the upper part of the valve body30, for example, by screwing, this is not intended to be particularlylimiting; in other cases, the valve body 30 and the diaphragm 35 may notbe fixed together.

When air pressure is supplied from the pressure introduction port 13,the pressure chamber 12 is pressurized, and the diaphragm 35, havinggained a force exceeding the elastic force of the spring 36, pressesdownward. This causes the valve body 30 fixed to the diaphragm 35 toseparate from the valve seat 11 to open the opening face 11 a of thevalve seat 11, so that the fluid flows from the first space 22 into thesecond space 23.

In this case, since a travel distance (opening) in the verticaldirection of the valve body 30 varies according to a degree to which thepressure chamber 12 is pressurized, flow rate of the fluid passingthrough the opening face 11 a of the valve seat 11 can be adjusted. Inother words, since the desired air pressure adjusted by the regulator 51is supplied to the pressure chamber 12, the pressurizing force can bevaried according to the air pressure.

As a result, since the fluid flows into the second space in accordancewith the opening of the valve body 30 and this fluid flows from theretoward the outlet port 24, the flow rate of the fluid supplied from theflow rate adjusting device 1 is thus adjusted.

As a driving source of the slow-leaking mechanism for preventing thevalve body 30 from being fully closed, a piston 40 which operates onreceiving supply of compressed air is provided on the upper side of theabove-described diaphragm 35 and the pressure chamber 12.

The piston 40 is installed inside a piston chamber 14, which is a space(recess) formed at a position inside the housing 10 and on the upperside of the valve body 30 and the diaphragm 35, and an operating rangeof the piston 40 is restricted by upper and lower wall surfaces of thepiston chamber 14. The piston 40 includes a vertical shaft 41, a disc 42which is connected to the shaft 41 and acts as a pressure-receivingsurface, and a spring 43 which biases the disc 42 upward.

The shaft 41 and the disc 42 are connected together by screwing anoutside screw (male screw) 41 a of the shaft 41 with an inside screw(female screw) 42 b of a cylinder part 42 a which is formed integrallywith the disc 42.

A second pressure chamber 15 which supplies pressure and therebyactuates the piston 40 is formed on the upper side of the disc 42.

This pressure chamber 15 communicates with the pressure introductionport 16 which is formed at a position in the housing 10 above thepressure introduction port 13. Although in the shown configurationexample, air pressure is supplied from the compressed air supply source50 to the pressure introduction port 16 through a solenoid valve 52, thepressure source is not intended to be limited to the compressed air. Thesupply of air pressure to the pressure chamber 15 is on-off controlledby the solenoid valve 52.

More specifically, since a predetermined air pressure is supplied intothe pressure chamber 15 upon opening (on) of the solenoid valve 52, thepiston 40 overcomes the bias of the spring 43 and moves downward. Thisbrings a lower end of the shaft 41 into contact with an upper endsurface of the diaphragm 35, so that the valve body 30 together with thediaphragm 35 is pressed downward by a preset stroke amount. Thisdepressing force of the piston 40 is set to a larger value than theupward bias (elastic force) of the above-described spring 36.

Therefore, even in a situation where the air pressure supplied from thepressure introduction port 13 is lost and the elastic force of thespring 36 prevails, the valve body 30 is prevented from being fullyclosed while the solenoid valve 52 is opened. As a result, the minuteopening corresponding to the predetermined stroke is maintained.

The outside screw 41 a is formed on the upper side of the piston 40,namely, on the upper end side of the shaft 41 protruding from thehousing 10. And on the upper end side of the shaft 41, a dial operationpart 55 of the stroke adjusting mechanism and a lock nut part 56 of thestopper mechanism are provided in order to adjust the stroke of theslow-leaking mechanism.

The dial operation part 55 is a member formed into a substantiallycylindrical shape, and fixed, for example, by being mounted to a smalldiameter part 41 b, which is provided on the upper end of the shaft 41and has a non-circular cross-section, with a recessed part 55 a havingthe same cross-sectional shape fitted so as to cover the small diameterpart 41 b, and thereafter being screwed by a screw 57 from above.However, the connecting/fixing structure of the dial operation part 55and the shaft 41 is not intended to be particularly limited, as long asthe shaft 41 can be interlocked with rotation operation of the dialoperation part 55.

The lock nut part 56 is a nut-like member, of which an inside screw 56 ais screwed with the outside screw 41 a of the shaft 41, and this locknut part 56 defines the stroke amount of the slow-leaking mechanism.More specifically, since rotating the dial operation part 55 in adesired direction causes the shaft 41 to move in an axial direction withrespect to the cylinder part 42 a and the lock nut part 56, a value ofstroke shown in FIG. 6(b), namely, a protrusion length of the lower endof the shaft 41 from the lower surface of the disc 42 (stroke amount)can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), the larger the value of the stroke amount thusadjusted, the sooner the shaft contacts with the diaphragm 35, andaccordingly, the minute opening of the valve body 30 set by theslow-leaking mechanism becomes larger.

Since screwing the cylinder part 42 a and the lock nut part 56 with theshaft 41 functions to retain the shaft 41 as the stopper mechanism of aso-called double-nut system, the dial operation part 55 is fixed at anarbitrary position where it is screwed with the outside screw 41 aformed on the shaft 41. The double-nut system of the present embodimentallows the shaft 41 to secure an axially long screw part by beingscrewed with the cylinder part 42 a, whereby the reliability as thestopper mechanism is improved.

This means that, in a state where the piston 40 is not actuatedvertically by the introduced air pressure, rotation operation of thedial operation part 55 in a desired direction causes the dial operationpart 55 and the shaft 41 to move inside the cylinder part 42 a, which isintegral with the disc 42, in the axial direction (vertical direction)and be fixed at an arbitrary position by the double-nut system.

As a result, since the operating range of the piston 40 is restricted bythe upper and lower wall surfaces inside the piston chamber 14, thestroke amount of the slow-leaking mechanism which is defined accordingto the adjusted protrusion amount of the shaft 41 is invariablymaintained.

In the present embodiment, a lock cap 60, which is, for example, a resinformed part, is provided as a lock member for preventing motion of thedial operation part 55 and the lock nut part 56.

In sum, the flow rate adjusting device 1 of the present embodimentincludes: the housing 10 having the inlet port 21 and the outlet port 24at both ends of the fluid passage formed inside thereof; the valve body30 disposed so as to open and close the fluid passage; the dialoperation part (stroke adjusting mechanism) 55 which adjusts the minuteopening of the valve body 30 in the slow-leaking mechanism; the lock nutpart (stopper mechanism) 56 which fixes the adjusting position of theminute opening in the slow-leaking mechanism; and the lock cap (lockmember) 60 which prevents the motion of the dial operation part 55 andthe lock nut part 56.

The lock cap 60 includes: the first insertion hole 61 into which thesubstantially cylindrical dial operation part 55 provided on the upperend side of the lock nut part 56 is inserted; the second insertion hole62 into which the rod 17 protruding upward from the housing 10 isinserted; and the arm part 63 which connects the first insertion hole 61and the second insertion hole 62.

More specifically, the lock cap 60 includes: the first insertion hole 61into which the substantially cylindrical dial operation part 55, whichserves as the dial operation part 55 for adjusting the stroke of theslow-leaking mechanism, is inserted; the second insertion hole 62 intowhich the rod 17, which is provided so as to protrude upward from theupper surface of the housing 10, is inserted; and the arm part 63 whichconnects the first insertion hole 61 and the second insertion hole 62.

The first insertion hole 61 includes an annular part 64 which protrudesto an upper side of the dial operation part 55 at a predeterminedinsertion position. Providing this annular part 64 makes it possible toprevent the outer circumferential surface, which is an operation surfaceof the dial operation part 55, from being exposed, that is, to cover theentire surface of the dial operation part 55 except for the uppersurface which is a non-operation surface.

The resin lock cap 60 includes one or more slits 65 which divide thewall surface of the annular part 64 in a circumferential direction.Accordingly, the annular part 64 which is elastically deformed in amounted state can be brought into close contact with the outercircumferential surface of the dial operation part 55 by optimizing aninner diameter of the annular part 64, that is, by making the innerdiameter slightly smaller than an outer diameter of the dial operationpart 55.

The second insertion hole 62 has an inner diameter which is equal to orslightly larger than an outer diameter of the rod 17. Rotation of thelock cap 60 is prevented by inserting the rod 17, which is screwed intoand fixed to the upper surface of the housing 10, into the insertionhole 62.

More specifically, mounting the lock cap 60 having the above-describedconfiguration causes the dial operation part 55 to be inserted andfitted into the first insertion hole 61 and, at the same time, the rod17 to be inserted and fitted into the second insertion hole 62 connectedby the arm part 63. Thus, shifts in the adjusting position due tounintentional motion caused by vibration, operation of rotating the lockcap 60 surrounding the outer circumference of the dial operation part55, etc. can be reliably prevented by engagement between the rod 17 andthe second insertion hole 62 through the arm part 63.

With respect to the outer diameter of the dial operation part 55, alower half of the above-described first insertion hole 61 is set to beslightly larger, whereas the annular part 64 on an upper half has aslightly smaller diameter. Due to such the first insertion hole 61, therod 17 is already inserted in the insertion hole 62 at a point when thedial operation part 55 is inserted into the lower half of the firstinsertion hole 61, and the lock cap 60 can be positioned in this state.

Adopting the lock cap 60 having such a shape allows the annular part 64and the dial operation part 55 to be fixed together after the firstinsertion hole 61, the second insertion hole 62, the dial operation part55, and the rod 17 are positioned. Thus, by dividing the process intotwo steps of positioning and fixing, the lock cap 60 can be easilymounted without the dial operation part 55 being accidentally rotatedduring positioning.

According to the present embodiment thus configured, due to the lock cap60 mounted on the stroke adjusting operation part of the slow-leakingmechanism, it is possible to provide a highly reliable device which canprevent such unintentional shifts in the adjusting position as affectthe flow rate adjusting function, including a shift in the adjustingposition by a worker accidentally touching the dial operation part 55 orthe lock nut part 56, a shift in the adjusting position due to incorrectoperation of the worker while trying to do other operation, and a shiftin the adjusting position caused by vibration, etc.

The present invention is not intended to be limited to theabove-described embodiment, and changes can be made appropriatelywithout departing from the scope of the present invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A flow rate adjusting device, comprising: ahousing having an inlet port at one end of a fluid passage and an outletport at the other end of the fluid passage, the fluid passage beingformed inside the housing; a valve configured to move toward an openingface of a valve seat, the opening face communicating with the fluidpassage; a spring configured to generate a biasing force which pressesthe valve against the valve seat; a pressure chamber configured togenerate a pressure force which presses the valve in a direction thatthe valve moves away from the valve seat, the pressure chamberconfigured to be pressurized by a fluid supplied from a pressure supplysource; and a slow-leaking maintainer configured to maintain a minuteopening between the valve and the valve seat at any moment when thebiasing force generated by the spring overcomes the pressure forcegenerated by the pressure chamber; the slow-leaking maintainer includes:a stroke adjuster configured to adjust minute opening of the valve inthe slow-leaking maintainer; a stopper configured to fix an adjustingposition of the minute opening; and a lock configured to prevent motionof the stroke adjuster and the stopper, wherein the lock includes: afirst insertion hole into which a substantially cylindrical adjustingoperation part of the stroke adjuster is inserted; a second insertionhole into which a rod protruding upward from the housing is inserted,rotation of the lock being prevented by the insertion of the rod intothe second insertion hole; and an arm which connects the first andsecond insertion holes.
 2. A flow rate adjusting device, comprising: ahousing having an inlet port at one end of a fluid passage and an outletport at the other end of the fluid passage, the fluid passage beingformed inside the housing; a valve configured to move toward an openingface of a valve seat, the opening face communicating with the fluidpassage; a spring configured to generate a biasing force which pressesthe valve against the valve seat; a pressure chamber configured togenerate a pressure force which presses the valve in a direction thatthe valve moves away from the valve seat, the pressure chamberconfigured to be pressurized by a fluid supplied from a pressure supplysource; and a slow-leaking maintainer configured to maintain a minuteopening between the valve and the valve seat at any moment when thebiasing force generated by the spring overcomes the pressure forcegenerated by the pressure chamber, wherein: the slow-leaking maintainerincludes: a stroke adjuster configured to adjust minute opening of thevalve in the slow-leaking maintainer; a stopper configured to fix anadjusting position of the minute opening; and a lock configured toprevent motion of the stroke adjuster and the stopper, wherein the lockincludes: a first insertion hole into which a substantially cylindricaladjusting operation part of the stroke adjuster is inserted; a secondinsertion hole into which a rod protruding upward from the housing isinserted; and an arm which connects the first and second insertionholes; and the first insertion hole comprises an annulus which protrudesto an upper side of the adjusting operation part at a predeterminedinsertion position; and the annulus covers an entire surface of theadjusting operation part except for a non-operation surface.
 3. The flowrate adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the lock is made ofresin, and comprises one or more slits which divide a wall surface ofthe annulus in a circumferential direction.